WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Diplomat!
The explosive ending of Netflix’s hit new series The Diplomat leaves viewers wondering what exactly happened to Hal Wyler and whether he’s still alive. Hal was running late to meet with an older British man named Martin Grove, who Margaret Roylin vetted to Ambassador Kate Wyler as a former Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Kate had ordered Hal not to meet with Grove in The Diplomat’s season 1 finale, but Hal decided to meet with Grove anyway, being the people person he is. Grove initially wanted to meet with Kate to discuss an urgent matter but died before he got the chance.
After delivering a moving speech at the Chatham House that stressed the significance of talking to everybody as an international diplomat, Hal approached Martin Grove outside a restaurant when Grove opened his car door, setting off a bomb that certainly took his life. Stuart Hayford, Kate’s deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in London, was also walking toward Martin Grove while speaking to Hal on the phone when the bomb went off. Stuart and his office clerk Ronnie appear to be directly impacted by the explosion and most likely are killed at the end of The Diplomat’s first season.
Does Hal Die In The Diplomat Ending?
It’s not entirely clear whether Hal survived the explosion or not based on the season 1 finale of The Diplomat alone. In the last image that is seen of Hal before the explosion, he is far enough away from the exploding car to make his survival plausible. The ambiguity around his well-being is deliberately left as a cliffhanger for The Diplomat season 2, which Netflix has not yet announced. At the end of The Diplomat’s first season, Kate is told something by British officials that stuns her, which is undoubtedly the deaths of at least Martin Grove, Ronnie, and most likely Stuart. Merritt Grove was a new character introduced in the eighth and final episode of season 1, whose on-screen appearance was short-lived.
Why Merritt Grove’s Car Exploded (Was Hal Also A Target?)
Grove’s car exploded because he likely knew about Lenkov and Trowbridge. Grove was seen introducing Hal before his speech at the Chatham House, and afterward where he abruptly asked Hal if they could meet somewhere in private. Grove had something crucial to tell Kate but decided Hal was the next best option and stressed the issue’s urgency. It’s very plausible that Grove knew what Kate and Foreign Secretary Dennison found out just before the explosion and was trying to tell an American ambassador immediately. Hal was not the intended target of the car bomb but would have been exposed to highly sensitive information had he spoken with Grove, which could have eventually put a target on his back.
Kate and Dennison ascertained that Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge was the one who hired Roman Lenkov to perform the missile attack against his own Naval troops at the beginning of The Diplomat. This revelation will set up the plot for season 2 of The Diplomat, whether Hal is alive or not. Based on season 1’s ending and instant popularity on the streaming platform, it would be surprising for Netflix to discontinue the series. Hal’s status remains a question mark for now, but it will certainly be answered if season 2 does happen. There is undoubtedly still hope he survived in The Diplomat, but there’s no way of truly knowing for now.
